So….why do we celebrate this level of mediocrity? Because Wake Forest can’t ever be better than that?
Because we HAVEN'T been better than that. At least not more than a few times.
There is a difference between accepting where we're at as the best we're ever going to be, and accepting where we're at as a step to the next level.
Programs generally don't go from 5 Bowl Games in 100 years to National Championship quality right away.
But programs DO go from 5 Bowl Games in 100 years, to 5 Bowl Games in 9 years, to 7 Bowl Games in 7 years, and then to the next level.
It takes time. We have a coach who has taken us to 40%+ of our Bowl Games in our entire history.
We are getting to a point where he should be able to get us to a Conference Championship contending team every few years, and then winning more frequently after that.
There are steps in a process and expecting to jump from 10 Bowl Games ("mediocrity") in 113 years to National Championship contending teams is unreasonable.
Yes, 1-7 in a season in conference is NOT good. It is unacceptable. But going 7-1 in conference is GREAT and something we should begin to EXPECT every handful of years if not more often.
Going .500 should never be acceptable as a high point in a P5 program or its history. But going .500 should be allowable in the interim between 5 bowls in 100 years and Conference/National Championships. We WILL get there, but the next step in the process is competing at the 10-Win season level/Top 25% of the conference, and then we go from there.
I would really like to know why some of you think going from losing 38 games in the last 5 years of Grobe to losing 26 in the last 5 years of Clawson ISN'T an improvement. That's the name of the game, improvement. That doesn't always mean more wins each successive year, but it does mean developing as a program as a whole, which I think just short of a decade should be the expected time table. We're right there. We also went to a conference championship game 2 years ago. Save your judgment until we have at least 2 back-to-back years like this year. Who knows how good we'll be next year.
You guys are basing expectations on the output with a 5 Year Record-Setting QB and NFL Receivers. Very few schools have that luxury, and we don't have the luxury of 5* recruits every year. So we need to accept that the Championship seasons will be every 3-4 years for now until we are able to bring in the steady flow of conference winning caliber players.
It's coming. Just give it more than 5 years.
/Pickle Rant